Stories by Jerry Ascierto

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the best practices for writing a speech for leadership

A Few Common Writing Mistakes You’re Probably Still Making

March 6th, 2018 by

Strong writing skills can supercharge your brand’s message and propel your own professional growth. After all, the best way to influence anyone is a story well told. Yet, many communicators undermine their brand’s message—and their own credibility—by stumbling over some common but easily avoidable linguistic hurdles. Here are three common errors to keep in mind before you hit the send button.

How Brands Can Survive and Thrive in the Post-Organic Apocalypse

March 2nd, 2018 by

The “Facebook Apocalypse” dominated conversations at Social Media Marketing World 2018, as brands prepare for a post-organic new world order. But for communicators, the future doesn’t have to be a dystopia of direct deposits into Facebook’s bank account. By mastering short-form and live video, focusing on storytelling and remembering to keep the humanity intact, your social media strategy can shift focus away from the brand and toward the consumer.

Delta and FedEx Find Neutrality Impossible in the Gun-Control Debate

February 27th, 2018 by

When Delta joined a growing list of companies rescinding discounts for NRA members, it did so by proclaiming its neutrality. And when FedEx decided to keep its NRA discount in place, the brand also attempted to stay neutral. But both quickly found that when it comes to an issue as controversial as gun control, brands can’t have it both ways.

Never Mind the Snapchat Petition, Here Are the Redesign’s Benefits

February 20th, 2018 by

While Snapchat’s redesign has caused a fierce resistance among its user base—prompting an online petition with 1.2 million signatures asking Snap, Inc. to revert to the original design—creators and brands are poised to benefit from the facelift. Over the last month, the platform has rolled out a suite of analytics, started growing an e-commerce platform and opened up its advertising API while offering new advertisers free credits to give Snapchat a test drive.

The KISS Approach to Creating a Podcast: Keep it Simple, Sister

February 15th, 2018 by

About nine months ago, sisters Alison Goldstein Lebovitz and Amanda Goldstein Marks were on the phone, cracking each other up, when they realized their conversations might make a good podcast. The ensuing Sis & Tell podcast has won a lot of fans—and grown the sisters’ personal brands—in a short time due to its intimacy, authenticity and humor. Here, the sisters provide a few tips they’ve learned along the way for brands and individuals looking to launch a podcast.

Why Velcro Companies Sticks to Working With Legal When Dealing With Influencers

February 13th, 2018 by

Influencer marketing is a young discipline and the rules of play are still in flux. While it can be a challenge just to identify the right brand ambassadors, the importance of the vetting process—and the involvement of your brand’s legal department—can’t be overstated. We recently sat down with Kara Hendrick, manager of global digital strategy for Velcro Companies, to let us in the “loop” about how she handles influencers—and why her company’s legal department is an essential partner.

3 Ways Unilever Benefits From Its Threat to Pull Facebook, Google Ads

February 12th, 2018 by

Unilever is threatening to pull ads from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google—but the way the consumer goods giant conveyed that message has been as powerful as the message itself. The company’s CMO Keith Weed planned to use his keynote at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting today to call for improved transparency, accountability and consumer trust in digital platforms. But in a masterstroke of messaging, the company managed to humanize itself and score earned media, while also positioning Unilever as a thought leader, by releasing the speech strategically.

Twitter’s in the Black But Flat, While Snap’s in the Red But Surging

February 8th, 2018 by

Twitter delivered a profitable quarter for the first time in its history, beating Wall Street’s expectations with fourth-quarter net income of $91 million. But the cheery news was tempered by the fact that its user growth is stagnant, and even falling in the U.S. Meanwhile, in a tale of two platforms, Snapchat is still bleeding money, yet its user base, particularly among Gen Z, is on the ascent.

5 PR Views of the Stock Market Plunge

February 6th, 2018 by

A day after experiencing the biggest one-day point drop in its history, the Dow Jones Industrial Average continues its wild ride—and investor relations pros are likely working overtime to minimize the damage. So, how should communicators calm jittery stakeholders? We asked five communicators who specialize in investor relations and crisis communications how they’re approaching messaging during today’s stock market crisis.

Your Brand Can’t Afford a Super Bowl Ad? You Can Still Compete in Twitter’s #BrandBowl

January 30th, 2018 by

Twitter announced its first ever #BrandBowl, a competition that will award prizes to brands whose commercials are most often referenced on the platform during the game. But the awards aren’t dedicated only to those who can afford the astronomically priced ad space: One award category gives every brand a fighting chance.